Culinary Ascension: My System's Unique Path

Hello Everyone,

My name is Li Chen, a 23-year-old handsome young man with short red hair, red eyes, and pale skin.

From birth, I was quite a unique child. Not to sound boastful, but when you don't resemble your parents, think differently from everyone else, and prefer zombies over humans, you can either consider yourself a weird outcast or something special. I choose to see myself as special, every single day of my life.

I was born into the Li family, where my father, Li Cheng, was the leader of the Li enterprise, and my mother, Li Hua, was a renowned surgeon across China. You might say I was born with a silver spoon, yet it felt like I didn't even have a spoon to eat with.

Having beautiful features that neither of your parents possess can be seen as a blessing, but in my case, it wasn't. My birth caused a significant rift in the family.

My father, Li Cheng, a public figure in China and beyond, refused to believe I was his son from the moment he laid eyes on me. Even after a DNA test confirmed our relationship, he struggled to accept it, seeing me as a stain on the family's reputation.

My mother, Li Hua, regarded me as some sort of devil's spawn, sent to disrupt our family's peace.

My birth plunged the family into chaos, which persisted for about seven years before my parents found some resolution. Yet, this did not mean they ceased to despise me.

I have two brothers, Li Wei and Li Ming. Our relationship was far from close; in fact, it was quite the opposite.

My unique features and the fact that I was nearly better than them at everything fueled their resentment. They seized any opportunity to bully me, which, in hindsight, was quite brave of them.

It takes a significant amount of audacity and ignorance to bully someone who spends his days locked away in a dark room, accompanied only by his dark thoughts.

There were many times I fantasized about stabbing everyone in their sleep or setting the house ablaze. But I fought those urges and resisted the temptation for a long while.

After about five years of my parents' disputes, they settled their differences and welcomed another child, Li Jing, my dear, loving sister.

Her birth was a beacon in my life, the first glimmer of joy in my otherwise dismal existence.

Despite my parents' efforts to keep us apart, it didn't work. From her early days, Li Jing and I shared a special bond.

As she grew, we became even closer, spending a great deal of time together. I became her first friend, and as time went on, perhaps even her idol. She began to emulate many of my mannerisms. By the age of nine, she had cut her hair short like mine and often dressed similarly, which only angered my parents further.

They had tolerated our relationship up to a point, but this mimicry was the final straw. They were not prepared to tolerate it any longer.

By the time I turned 17 and was preparing for college, my parents finally seized the opportunity to remove me from Li Jing's life; they sent me to the USA for my college education.

Initially, it was difficult for me. I already struggled to connect with people, but now I was thrust into an environment full of new faces and experiences.

The first two years of my college life were perhaps the worst I had ever endured. Being a Chinese guy with red hair, red eyes, and pale skin that made me resemble a fictional vampire didn't help, and my reluctance to socialize made me a target for bullies.

However, that changed after I enrolled in a few self-defense classes. I had always possessed greater physical strength than the average person, which, combined with my newly honed skills, allowed me to fend off and even defeat several bullies.

From that day on, my life became more peaceful, with no more bullies to worry about. I gained some notoriety after beating Drake, the notorious campus bully, and his lackeys. I earned the nickname "The Daywalker" [a name inspired by Wesley Snipes' character in the movie Blade].

I was invited to many campus parties and clubbing events, but I declined them all. I had grown accustomed to my solitude, which was far more peaceful than mingling with crowds.

To pass the time and alleviate boredom, I took up reading web novels, and I have to say, I was captivated by those stories.

The tales of mythical beasts, humans flying, crushing planets with their bare hands, commanding dragons the size of planets, and other fantastical concepts were enthralling.

I couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to live in such a world, filled with incredible adventures. The mere thought set my blood on fire and sent my imagination into overdrive.

Most people would dismiss these as mere fantasy stories, crafted by talented authors, but not me. I believed in every detail.

As I mentioned before, my thought process is not like that of other humans. I think differently from the rest.

I've always believed the universe is too strange and vast for such things not to exist: cultivation, magic, aliens, races like elves and ogres, and everything you find in fantasy books, and even beyond.

Common humans on Earth seem to be getting ahead of themselves. I believe that no one has the right to deem anything impossible or just fantasy until they've traversed the entire universe. Only then would they have the authority to make such a claim.

I am convinced that somewhere out there, there must be human civilizations so advanced in technology that they see us, even with our technological heights, as mere dancing monkeys. Or perhaps there are powerful beings who regard us as insignificant as ants.

The more I read and immersed myself in these stories, the more intrigued I became, and the more I desired to know. So, by the end of my six years in college, I had become a true fantasy aficionado.

I spent countless hours on the internet and in the library, researching mythologies about gods who once roamed the Earth, dragons, and every other piece of mythological lore I could uncover. I became so engrossed in it that I hardly focused on my studies.

Though I managed to pass at the end of my college education, my results were a far cry from what others might have expected, especially given my intelligence. But that did not seem to bother me in the slightest.

With my college education now complete, it was time for me to return to China. But since it was my last day in the USA, I decided to treat myself to my favorite meal for breakfast before my flight: lobster with spinach and mushrooms.

I've always loved this dish, but due to limited resources – my parents only covered my college tuition, and I had to take care of my other needs – I couldn't often afford such a meal. But on this last day, I could indulge without the fear of going hungry.

Little did I know that this meal would be my last.

Absorbed in my thoughts, I failed to notice the chaos unfolding in the restaurant. The next thing I knew, a searing pain shot through my body as I was crushed by a large truck, followed by darkness.

I didn't have time to emerge from my reverie before I was killed by the notorious runaway disciple of Death "Truck-kun."

But who would have thought that when I believed it was the end of my life, I would find myself floating in space, surrounded by countless shining stars?

Above me was an island floating in the void, and on the edge of this island sat a giant old lady.

The lady was mesmerizing, dressed in a flowing white robe that danced in the cosmic wind along with her hair.

Despite her age and wrinkles, she retained a trace of her youthful beauty and grace. Her blue eyes shone brighter than the stars, her long white hair whiter than snow, floating with the wind, adding to her mesmerizing aura. But it wasn't her beauty that caught my attention the most.

Tied around the old lady's waist was a white rope with a hint of golden shimmer. At each end of the rope dangled a strange fishing hook, and she held one end downward, assuming a posture reminiscent of a fisherman.

Seeing this, I was in shock. Was this a dream? The scene before me was something one might only witness in their dreams.

I tried to call out to the giant old lady, but to my surprise, I couldn't utter a word.

That's when I looked down at myself and realized I was no longer in my normal form. Instead, I had shrunk to the size of an ant and was trapped inside a glowing orb.

Looking around, I saw that I was not surrounded by stars but by other people, each encased within a similar shining orb.

Looking up at the floating island, I noticed that all the "stars" in the sky were people trapped inside shining orbs. Every so often, one would detach and float downward.

Without being told, I understood that those trapped above were the souls of the living, while those below were the souls of the dead.

Before I could process this further, I felt the orb shake as I was hooked by the old lady's fishing line, and then I was floating toward the giant old woman – or perhaps she only appeared gigantic due to my shrunken size.

After a moment, I landed on the palm of the lady, who looked at me with a smile on her lips. "Oh, finally an interesting one," she said with a mesmerizing voice, as she poked the shining orb I was trapped inside. The next instant, it changed from a white color to a golden color.

A warm sensation embraced my entire being, but before I could contemplate my situation further, the old lady released me, and I began floating towards a gigantic golden gate. Inscribed atop the gate was a word that caused a tremor within my consciousness. Although it was written in a strange, unknown language, I could somehow read it. The word 'The Path of Reincarnation' resonated with me.